Texas had not finished a week with three straight wins since a 4-game winning streak in late October. This week, playing against the Grand Rapids Griffins and Milwaukee Admirals, the Stars took 6 of 8 possible points, something they have failed to do in many of these weekly reports. While the week was not perfect, some promising signs lead me to believe that the Texas Stars’ second half will be much stronger than their first half.
Firstly, a Justin Hryckowian goal has been a certainty in each game over the past few weeks, as he has scored seven goals in his last six games. Hryckowian has been called up a few times to the NHL Dallas Stars club as an extra forward in case of an injury but has yet to play a game for the NHL club (I would take the ‘over’ on NHL games this year, as I think he gets one game at least).
Secondly, the Texas Stars won the goaltending/defense battle against teams with strong goaltending. In particular, the Grand Rapids Griffins duo of former Texas Star goalie Jack Campbell and Detroit Red Wings top prospect Sebastian Cossa could arguably be the best tandem in the AHL. Texas was able to win two of three games against Grand Rapids and beat the Milwaukee Admirals, who have multiple veteran defenders like Marc Del Gaizo and Kevin Grave, as well as strong defensive prospects like Ryan Ufko on their back end.
I was pleased with Texas’ energy this week and Magnus Hellberg's stability in the goal. In game one on Tuesday against Grand Rapids, Texas lost to veterans Sheldon Dries and Austin Watson, who were relentless attackers the entire game. Texas’ squad is relatively young compared to the top players in Grand Rapid's top-six forward group, so the experience did show in game one, but Wednesday’s rematch showed Texas’ willingness to fight back.
Another week, another great Antonio Stranges goal. Stranges’ shooter decision-making has complemented his playmaking efforts this season. Players like Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque do not have this kind of finesse in their game, making Antonio Stranges a special player. Seeing Stranges ‘put it all together’ this season has been a pleasure to watch, as his NHL upside was debatable after last season but now seems more potent than ever.
tony🤝scoring goals pic.twitter.com/5fhT6PZTxI
— Texas Stars (@TexasStars) December 19, 2024
Cameron “Clutch” Hughes scored the overtime winner, giving Texas a key extra point against a great opponent.
Despite the scoreline, Saturday’s game against Milwaukee was strong for goaltender Magnus Hellberg, who was playing his third game of the week. The team helped Hellberg out by scoring two goals to end the first period, and Texas (helped by Hellberg) controlled the game for most of the final 40 minutes. Matej Blumel had two goals in the game and scored 8 of his 13 goals this season in December.
Blumel may not be interested in the week-long break.
That's TWO for Blu! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/d6yOzJiLUc
— Texas Stars (@TexasStars) December 22, 2024
This week's final contest was a Sunday matchup against the Grand Rapids Griffins, the third meeting between Texas and Grand Rapids in six days. Texas went down early in the game 2-0, but rallied back with two goals from Justin Hryckowian. Arttu Hyry scored the overtime winner on the Power Play on a rebound which gave Texas another key extra point in the standings.
Player of the week: Justin Hryckowian
Week Stats:
GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Season Stats:
GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
27 | 12 | 14 | 26 |
An honorable mention for “Player of the Week” goes to Matej Blumel, who has three goals in four games, has remained hot on the goal front, and is up to 13 goals in 26 games now (tied for 8th in AHL scoring).
Arttu Hyry also had a good week, scoring four points in four games. There are multiple great offensive weapons for this Texas Stars squad.
Overall, Texas earned key standings points this week and displayed a great team effort that sets them up nicely for a post-holiday playoff push. Even with an expanded playoff format for the AHL, winning games should be important to these teams. I hope that, along with individual player development, the team keeps its energy level high going into the second half to give fans more to cheer about.
The Texas Stars will be an exciting team to watch in the new year.
Week ahead:
- Sun, Dec 29, 2024 @ Manitoba